Mighty to Save

We often say that Jesus is, “mighty to save,” meaning He alone has the power to save us. We need saving because we have sinned, and any amount of sin is more than enough to separate us from a holy God. No amount of good works or good intentions can undo the separation caused by sin.

It all started when Adam and Eve chose to sin in the Garden of Eden. When they rebelled against God they developed a sin nature, which they passed on to their children and all their descendants. That’s why Paul said, “In Adam we all die (1 Corinthians 15:22) and, “by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and death passed upon all men for all have sinned (Romans 5:12).” The mess that Adam made, along with our own choices to live in opposition to our Creator, has left us in a terrible place.

The sacrifice of Jesus as our substitute is of vital importance in light of this. No matter how big the mess we are in, Jesus is able to overcome it. I love how John Calvin put it: “Christ is much more powerful to save than Adam was to destroy.”

Adam, however unintentionally, was very successful in his efforts to destroy humanity, but the good news is Jesus is mighty to save—much more powerful than Adam.

If you have never done so, put your trust in Jesus alone, for He is the only one mighty enough to save you from your sin. 

Carbon Dating is Junk Science

Last week I wrote about how bugs and birds point to a young earth and contradict the billions of years we constantly hear about. Today I want to point at something else in nature that also points to a young earth: coal.

Many, especially students, hear about carbon dating (or C14 dating) that supposedly disproves the Bible’s version of Creation. Every time a fossil is found or a bone is discovered, we hear about how carbon dating shows that the discovery was many millions of years old. The more we hear this the more we may be inclined to wonder if the Bible is true, or if this science has discredited God’s Word.

Carbon dating may sound good, but if scientists are honest, they will admit that the system is flawed at best, and flat-out fake at worst. The earth’s atmosphere contains .0000765% C14; once something dies it stops taking in this carbon, and the carbon it contains immediately begins to decay. Therefore, the amount of carbon measured should be able to date the object against the amount of carbon in the atmosphere (although there are many variables that this method fails to account for). This is important: there should be no measurable carbon left in anything after 40,000 years.

According to Darwinian evolution, coal formed 250 million years ago. Yet today, any time coal is carbon dated, there is always some measurable carbon in the coal. From this we can conclude that either (1) carbon dating is junk science, (2) coal is not 250 million years old, or (3) both. I believe it is #3.

Next time someone tells you we know the earth is billions of years old, or that evolution is true because of C14 dating, just remember that carbon dating is wishful thinking for atheists. They need the earth to be billions of years old to give evolution a fighting chance. When taken literally, the Bible clearly teaches that earth is around 6,000 years old, and real science always points to a young earth.

The Birds and the Bugs

I realize that writing about insects might not be the best topic for some of you, but have you ever thought about how their existence disproves evolution and upholds the Genesis Creation model? Much to our dismay, bugs multiply at an astonishing rate. It has been estimated that in a single season, a pair of Colorado potato beetles can produce 60 million beetles. If that doesn't make your skin crawl, maybe this will: amphids can produce 10 sextillion amphids in a year. A single female fly can produce 144,000 bushels of babies in one summer.

Those numbers are only true is the bug population is left unchecked. Fortunately, they are not left unchecked. Birds eat bugs, and not just a few bugs. Chickadees alone are estimated to eat 8 billion bugs a year. The scarlet tanager can consume 600 caterpillars in 18 minutes. If there were no birds, how many bugs would be on this planet (or in your pantry)?

Darwinian evolution teaches that insects existed for many millions of years before birds evolved. That isn't possible, given their reproduction rate. Bugs would have ravaged all vegetation on Earth in no time, leaving the planet uninhabitable. The Bible, on the other hand, teaches that bugs and birds were made during the week of Creation. Knowing what we know, the Bible certainly holds up better than Darwin's theory.

"And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good."

Genesis 1:31

Purim

This Saturday, March 11^th, is the Jewish celebration known as Purim. This holiday isn’t listed among the traditional feasts in Leviticus because it didn’t begin until the days of Queen Esther. In the biblical book that bears the queen’s name, an evil anti-Semite named Haman convinced the king to push for the extermination of the Jews living in the Persian Empire.

Esther, at the behest of her uncle Mordecai, risked her life and standing with the king to stand up for her people. Understanding that this could prove fatal, Mordecai urged her to consider the obvious: “For if you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. Yet who knows whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this (Esther 4:14)?”

The king’s law that allowed for the Jews to be slaughtered could not be changed, but after Esther boldly begged for his help, her husband added to the law that the Jews could defend themselves (and Haman was executed). When it was all said and done, Esther and her people were spared.

We live in a world that is full of evil people like Haman, and full of wickedness like he displayed. We may wonder when God is going to act. Maybe God is waiting on you to act; maybe you are where you are for such a time as this. Use the voice you have been given, the platform on which you stand, and the resources with which you have been entrusted. Look for a way to be a part of the solution.

This weekend let Purim be a reminder that sometimes things get bad before God steps in, and that sometimes God wants you to be the one to step in.